14.1 Weak Verb Review

A weak letter in a verb typically causes some deviation from the strong verb paradigm

  • Strong verbs always follow the קטל strong-verb paradigm we learned in Lesson 13
    • The literal meaning of קטל is not material to our study
    • Like a math formula, these three letters are placeholders represent any verbal root containing three strong letters
  • A weak letter behaves differently in some fashion
    • It could reject a dagesh forte, prefer a different vowel, or disappear entirely under certain situations
  • A weak verb is a verbal root with one or more weak letters
  • It is possible for a verb to be strong in one conjugation but weak in another
    • For example, Resh is only a weak letter in verbs that try to put a Dagesh Forte in it
    • The Qal stem does not require a Dagesh Forte in any form; therefore, verbs with Resh are not considered weak in Qal
      • In Unit 4, we will learn the Piel stem requires a Dagesh Forte in \(R_2\)
      • Therefore, a verb with a Resh in \(R_2\) is a weak verb in the Piel
  • Weak verbs are classified by their problematic root letter